


Rising

by Bow_Ties



Series: Guardian Angel AU [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Angel!13, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Guardian Angel AU, Humour, I'm sorry but I promise the ending is worth it, Major character death - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bow_Ties/pseuds/Bow_Ties
Summary: "The day they came to her door, Sariel knew what it meant. She didn’t have to put down her book, or get up from the comfortable reading chair that she loved so much, or take a look outside the window past the curtains. The moment she heard the car stopping in front of their house, something inside of her turned inexplicably calm and empty, and then she knew."This is the final installment of the Guardian Angel AU
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Series: Guardian Angel AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1523237
Comments: 24
Kudos: 60





	Rising

**Author's Note:**

> So here we are, the final part. Writing this series has been quite a journey and I loved every second of it!
> 
> Before we get started, I wanted to thank TheRainbowFox for beta-ing!
> 
> Also, I want to say a massive thanks to jolivira. Her never-ending enthusiasm and her incredible fanart are what inspired me to keep writing and turn the original one-shot into a series. You can check out her amazing take on Yaz and Sariel here:  
> https://jolivira.tumblr.com/post/188152143913/hiya-there-kay-had-no-right-to-kill-me-with-their
> 
> Now, enough said, here's the story!

The day they came to her door, Sariel knew what it meant. She didn’t have to put down her book, or get up from the comfortable reading chair that she loved so much, or take a look outside the window past the curtains. The moment she heard the car stopping in front of their house, something inside of her turned inexplicably calm and empty, and then she knew.

Later, she would ask herself how she managed to walk into the hallway, how she even let herself open the door knowing what would happen next.

Ryan, stammering, tears streaming down his face, his Sergeant standing right beside him, a generic look of gravity plastered over his face. He had done this many times, Sara realised.

Everything felt like it was suspended in mid-air, and at the same time, the world looked far too sharp. Like somebody had overdone it on the resolution, making the lines so unforgivingly clear that they made Sara’s eyes hurt.

Reality only came crashing down on her when she heard a voice behind her, small and scared.

“Ma? Why is uncle Ryan here?”

  
  


\---

  
  


_ “I still don’t understand why we have to put you through all these… needles and pills!” _

_ Sariel was sitting next to Yaz, arms crossed in sulkiness, obviously unhappy with the way things were going. But the way she scrunched up her face and impatiently tapped her foot, so child-like yet so endearing, made Yaz laugh instead. _

_ “Sweetie, we talked about this.” _

_ Huffing out some air, Sara turned to her, frustration in her eyes. _

_ “We did! And I told you that I don’t get why we’re doing it this way when father could have just gotten you pregnant right away!” _

_ The sentence was immediately followed by a sharp intake of breath on Yaz’s right, and it took every single ounce of self-control in her body not to smack Sariel over the head right then. Instead, she plastered a broad smile over her face and turned to the nurse desperately trying to busy herself with putting tape over the butterfly needle in the back of Yaz’s hand. _

Think quick, Yaz.

_ “William!” she exclaimed, and the nurse looked up at her, even more confused than before. _

_ “William  _ Father _ , a friend of ours. He uhm… volunteered to make a sperm donation for a classic insemination, but we decided to go down the IVF road instead, with a different donor.” _

_ The nurse nodded slowly, then turned her attention to Yaz’s chart. “Right”, she mumbled. “The Doctor will be in shortly.” _

_ As soon as she left the room, Yaz turned to Sariel. _

_ “You can’t say things like that!” _

_ “I -”, Sara started, blushing. “I’m sorry, I still forget sometimes.” _

_ The look of guilt on her face was so honest and sweet that Yaz felt her anger evaporate into thin air, instead reaching out with her hand to gently palm Sara’s cheek. _

_ “It’s alright”, she said softly. “Don’t worry about it.” _

_ Sariel smiled at her in response, and Yaz leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you”, she mumbled. “Silly bean.” _

_ Before Sariel could reply, the door to the room was opened once again, revealing a young doctor, broad smile on her face. “Well hello you two! You ready to do this?” _

  
  


\---

  
  


Alex’s first birthday after Yaz was gone was the most painful. Sara had decided to take her out of school for the day, the two of them, driving out of town to spend the day she turned sixteen in a little bed and breakfast in the countryside. Sara had planned their day out, down to the very last detail, holding her schedule firm in hand the entire day.  
  


Driving off, 9 am.

Arrival, 9:50 am.

Breakfast, 10 am.

Hike up Mam Tor, 11 am.

Stopping for lunch at the top and give Alex her present, 1 pm.  
  


They made it halfway up Mam Tor before it all fell apart.

“So are you just going to pretend that mom never existed from now on?”

The words sliced through Sariel like a knife, leaving an ice-cold feeling behind.

“What?” she asked, turning around to face Alex, who had been walking behind her.

The look on her daughter’s face was one of strained composure, something flickering in her eyes that made Sara wince.

“You know”, Alex said, voice cold. “Never talk about her, take down the pictures with her in them, hide her medal away at the back of the shelf -”

The young girl’s voice had become more and more unstable, finally leading to tears streaming down her cheeks as she angrily balled her fists, obviously trying to fight them down.

Sariel felt like somebody had sucked out the air from her lungs, leaving her unable to breathe.

“I...”, she started. “I -”

And then she sank down on the rock next to her as something inside of her finally gave way, opening the gates for what she had so desperately tried not to feel, uncontrollable sobs racking her body.

“Ma!”

  
  


\---

  
  


_ “The Ponds suggested Amy as a name.” _

_ Yaz laughed, turning the page of the book currently perched on her considerably large belly. _

_ “The Ponds did, or  _ Amy _ did?” she asked, accepting the cup of tea Sara was handing her. _

_ Sara just grinned in reply, and sat down next to her.  _

_ “I like Jennifer”, Yaz said, pointing to the name on the page. _

_ Sariel immediately pulled a face, and Yaz sighed. “Let me guess. Another annoying charge?” _

_ “Listen”, Sariel said, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged, turning her upper body towards Yaz. “She was a  _ yoga ambassador _.” _

_ The last words had been accompanied by air quotes, and Yaz sighed. _

_ “Fine”, she said, turning the page once more. _

_ They skimmed over the pages together for a while, one or the other occasionally pointing out a name she liked, yet not finding one they could both agree on. _

_ “Actually”, Sara suddenly said. “I wanted to talk to you about something else.” _

_ “Hm?” Yaz asked, skimming over the “L” section.  _

Lara?

_ “So, you know I was an angel.” _

_ Chuckling, Yaz let her eyes roam further down the page. “I was marginally aware, yes.” _

_ “Hmph”, Sara said, playfully slapping Yaz’s arm. “Anyway”, she continued. “We aren’t really aware in how far my DNA has changed. And uhm… since I donated the egg, I think there might be… uhm…” _

_ “There might be what?” Yaz said, growing impatient at her inability to find a name she liked. _

Lena?

_ “I think there might be a possibility that the baby has wings.” _

_ Yaz’s head snapped up from the book, eyes growing wide. “The baby might have what?” she said, unsure if she had just heard that right. _

_ “Wings.” _

_ “Sariel Seraphim Khan, I am going to -” _

  
  


\---

  
  


They put the pictures back up together that weekend, hanging them one by one, finally finishing by placing the Queen’s Police Medal Yaz had received on the mantle, right in the center where they could see it every day.

Sariel hadn’t understood the pain at first. She knew with absolute certainty that she would see Yaz again, eventually. She knew that there would be a day where she would hold her in her arms again, and that that day would, in the grand scheme of things and considering the thousands of years Sariel had already lived, come soon enough.

But then why did it hurt so much, to see the picture of her and Yaz on her desk next to the piano? Why did it feel like someone was slicing her open every time she saw Yaz’s coat hanging on the rack when she came home, believing for a moment that the woman would be sitting on the couch when Sara walked into the living room?

At first, Sariel had thought that it might be those specific memories that hurt her, and so she had taken down the picture on the desk first. It was one they had taken on their first official date - when Yaz had taken her out for her first ever ice-cream, a love that would last the rest of Sariel’s life. Then there was the picture next to the couch, the one that showed them just after Alex had been born, Yaz holding the baby, her face glowing. Next had been the background photo on Sariel’s phone, Yaz smiling in front of a sunset, arms outstretched as if she were ready to hug the world.

Then it had been all of them.

Yet the pain didn’t stop.

So she stopped talking about Yaz, stopped mentioning her to Alex, and quickly changed the subject whenever somebody brought her up.

She hadn’t understood that what she had been feeling was grief.

  
  


\---

  
  


_ Yaz was concentrating on the task at hand. After all, it couldn’t be that hard. She’d seen other people do it, on TV and in real life, and she was confident she would be able to do it as well. _

Just open here _ , she thought, reaching out. _

_ “Oh my -” Sariel piped up next to her, and Yaz turned to see her eyes widen. “How”, she whispered, scrunching up her face. “How can something this small and beautiful make something this-” _

_ “Smelly”, Yaz finished, holding up the diaper between them. _

_ “It’s impressive, kind of”, Sara said. She leaned closer for a moment, then immediately pulled back, holding out a hand towards it. _

_ “I’ve got this”, she said, grabbing the diaper and bringing it over to the trash can, all the while holding it as far away from her body as was possible. _

_ Yaz proceeded to clean her daughter up, accepting the fresh diaper that Sariel handed her a couple of moments later. Once the little girl was all wrapped up again, Yaz looked her over, quite proud of her achievement. _

_ “You realise it’s your turn next time”, she said, grinning as she looked up at Sara.  _

_ The woman looked utterly terrified, and Yaz couldn’t help but laugh. _

_ “It’s like nuclear waste”, Sara whispered, eyes darting to the trash can on the other side of the room. _

_ Yaz stood up, gathering their baby into her arms and taking a step towards Sara. Lifting her head to bridge the gap between them, she placed a soft kiss on Sara’s lip. _

_ “Who said it again?”, she said. “Let’s make a tiny human.” _

_ Smiling, Sara wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling Yaz closer so their daughter was snuggled safely between their bodies. _

_ “Yeah”, she replied, looking into the face of their little girl. “Best decision ever.” _

\---

  
  


“I can’t do this.”

Sara and Alex were standing in the middle of a busy hall, surrounded by people Alex’s age. A guy to their left kept opening and closing his score, nervous eyes flitting over certain passages. Across the room, a girl was sitting down, fingers tapping over the table in front of her, staring straight ahead into nothing. A young woman rushed past, mumbling incoherently.

Turning towards Alex, who was clutching her sheet music in both hands, shoulders pulled up and teeth nervously gnawing her bottom lip, Sariel smiled.

“Honey, do you remember mom’s favorite quote?”

Alex frowned, then recited slowly. “But the dream of something unlikely has its own special name. We call it hope.”

“And what do I always say?” Sariel asked, placing a calming hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“That love and hope abide in the face of everything.”

“There you go”, Sara said. “I know there’s a lot of people here all trying to do the same thing, and some of them will succeed, and others won’t. But all that counts, no matter the outcome, is that you have worked so, so hard, and now it’s time to go in there, play your heart out, and let hope guide you.”

Sighing, Alex dropped her shoulders. “I wish mom was here”, she finally whispered, and Sara felt a familiar pang in her chest.

“I know, sweetie”, she replied, pulling her daughter into an embrace. “I know.”

“Number 28, Alexandra Khan.”

“Ugh”, Alex mumbled into Sara’s shoulder, then pulled away. “I guess that’s it.”

“You got this”, Sara smiled, giving her daughter’s shoulders a last, reassuring squeeze.

“Love and hope, Alex”, she said.

Smiling, Alex turned towards the door at the end of the room, squaring her shoulders.

“Love and hope”, she repeated, and then Sara watched her walk down the corridor, through that door right into the moment that might change her life.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


_ “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood -” _

_ “Honey, can I talk to you for a second?” _

_ Sariel was sitting on their daughter’s bed, one arm slung around the little girl, and frowned as she looked up from the book she was holding. _

_ “I was just getting to the good part”, she said, then stopped as she saw the look on Yaz’s face. Leaving a soft kiss on Alex’s forehead, she got up from the bed. “The next bit tomorrow! Sleep tight, little one.” _

_ “Night, ma. Night mom”, the girl mumbled, turning around and pulling the blanket up to her chin. _

_ Quietly, Yaz pulled the door shut behind Sara, then turned to her with a mild look of concern on her face. _

_ “Honey we’ve talked about this. She’s six years old.” _

_ “And?” _

_ Yaz let out an exasperated sigh. “Her bedtime story shouldn’t be the biblical apocalypse.” _

_ “But it’s hilarious!” Sariel said, throwing her arms up. “They got  _ so  _ many things wrong, Yaz. That’s definitely not how it’s going to go down.” _

_ “Can we just… agree to stay with Peter Rabbit”, Yaz asked, eyes pleading. “For now? She can have the apocalypse when she’s older.” _

_ There was a moment of slight pouting, before Sara nodded. “Fine”, she mumbled. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Thank you”, Yaz said, leaning up to place a soft kiss on Sara’s lips. “Now”, she added, pulling slightly on the zipper of Sara’s fluffy jacket, showing what she hoped was clearly a suggestive smile. “Do you want to go to bed with your wife?” _

_ Sara’s eyes widened, and then, before Yaz knew what was happening, the former angel had slung one arm under her legs and one around her shoulders, lifting Yaz off the ground who barely managed to contain a squeal. _

_ It reminded Yaz of when Sara had taken her to fly, all the way back when they had just met, and it made her heart fill with warmth as Sara gently laid her down on the bed, placing soft kisses all over her neck. _

_ Later, when Sara had already fallen asleep, something suddenly dawned on Yaz. _

_ “Wait”, she mumbled, then turned around to shake Sara awake, who grumbled something unintelligible in response. Hadn’t it been for the sudden realisation in Yaz’s mind, she would have stopped to admire how adorable the woman looked, mouth hanging open, half her face covered with messy hair. _

_ Instead, she shook her wife more firmly. _

_ “Sariel”, she whispered. “Sara what did you mean that’s not how the apocalypse is going to go down?” _

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Sariel nervously shuffled in her seat, opening the button of her tux jacket. She kept reading over the program in her hand, despite having known it by heart before she had even stepped foot into the room. 

“You’re going to burn a hole into that program if you keep staring at it like that, you know.”

Sara’s head snapped up at the familiar voice, and she smiled as she saw Amy and Rory taking their seats next to her. “Thanks for inviting us by the way”, Rory added, smiling with a look in his eyes that Sara was entirely sure was pride.

The couple had been right by Sara’s side through it all, watching over Alex whenever necessary, their own Melody becoming Alex closest friend over the years. To Sara, they were family.

“Of course”, she replied, then added, laughing quietly: “I think I’m more nervous about all this than she is.”

Patting her hand, Amy grinned. “You don’t say.”

“She’s going to be great”, Rory chirped up, that reassuring smile of his spreading over his face. Sara had always found it calming.

When the lights dimmed however, Sara’s heart was once more beating hard in her chest, and after the initial applause when Alex walked out on stage, taking a bow next to the piano before sitting down, Sara clutched the armrests as hard as she could. 

Then, to her surprise, she felt Amy gently taking her hand, softly taking it off the armrest and and wrapping her own around it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“We’re right here”, she whispered. “And I know Yaz is, too”, she added, and when the first notes resonating from the piano hit the air, Sariel felt the tears starting to silently run down her cheeks.

  
  


\---

_  
  
  
As soon as Yaz closed the door behind her, stepping foot into their hallway, she knew that something was wrong. The house was eerily quiet for the fact that an overenthusiastic thirteen year old was supposed to be home. Usually, at this time of day, Alex would practice until Yaz became scared her fingers would fall off, melody after melody filling the house. _

_ Not today. _

_ Frowning, Yaz made her way into the living room. Sure enough, the piano stood closed, sheet music haphazardly thrown into it. Next the kitchen, illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset falling in through the windows, but no Alex in sight. When Yaz found the teenager’s room empty as well, she was beginning to panic. Pulling out her phone, she made sure there were no missed messages or calls - but there was nothing. _

_ She was just about to dial Sara’s number in a frenzy, when she stopped in her tracks. _

_ A quiet, muffled sob rang down the hallway, and Yaz turned to face in the direction of its origin. It was coming from her and Sara’s room, and she walked to the slightly ajar door, slowly opening it fully. _

_ “Oh sweetie”, she breathed as she saw Alex, curled up on Sara’s side of the bed, holding on to the blanket while tears covered her face. “What happened?” _

_ She sat down on the bed, Alex immediately folding into her arms. And then Yaz patiently waited, stroking her girl’s hair, telling her how much she loved her, making sure she was holding her tight, until finally it broke out of her. The friend she thought she could trust, who had talked badly about her behind her back, how it felt like the biggest betrayal in the world. _

_ And Yaz listened, nodding along, placing soft kisses on her daughter’s head when it came to the particularly hard parts.  _

_ When it was all out and done, she felt Alex slowly drift off in her arms, the exhaustion of tears shed taking her over. And before Yaz knew what she was doing, she opened her mouth, singing softly to her daughter until her eyes closed, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep.  
  
_

Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you  
  


_ When she finished, she looked up and found Sariel, standing in the doorway, arms crossed as she leant against the frame, smiling. Yaz felt her own lips lift up in return, and warmth spread through her chest. _

_ Their little family was going to be okay. _

  
  


\---

  
  


“Ma? Are you alright?”

“Yeah”, Sariel said, shaking her head. “Yes of course. I just… I didn’t expect this to happen so soon.”

“Ma... I’m over thirty.”

“You’ll always be a little girl to me.”

She watched Alex roll her eyes, and a soft chuckle escaped her as she leaned back, eyeing the man sitting next to her daughter. She liked him, and agreed that he was good for Alex, always being a calming presence in her life. However, when Sara had come to meet them at this restaurant today, she had not expected to hear that her first grandchild was apparently on its way.

“Right”, she suddenly said, leaning forward again to place her folded hands on the table in front of her, fixing the father of her future grandchild with an intense gaze. “How are you planning on providing for your family?”

“Ma!”

“Actually”, he said, gulping, “We discussed me becoming a househusband? Alex’s career is taking off and I don’t want her to have to give up any of her dreams.”

“I was hoping you would say that”, Sariel said, nodding. “Well then”, she added, leaning over the table and holding out her hand. She had to suppress a laugh as for a brief moment, she watched her daughter’s boyfriend flinch, before he realised that Sara just wanted to shake his hand.

“Congratulations”, she finally said as he took her hand, and gave it a firm shake.

“Now you”, she continued as she turned towards Alex. No longer being able to contain herself, she felt a wide grin spread over her face. “Get up and give your mother a hug!”

  
  


\---

  
  


_ “I’m not sure this is a good idea. Maybe we should have said no after all. I mean, what if something happens? She’s too young for this. She’s way too young for this! What were we thinking?” _

_ “Yaz, honey, please calm down.” _

_ “Calm down? Calm down! I’m watching my daughter going to a party with a guy she apparently likes? Is this a date? Oh my god she’s going on a date.” _

_ The two women were standing at the window, the curtain pulled slightly aside so they could watch Alex being picked up by Chris “a super amazing guy who is totally into music like me” and a couple of their friends. Their daughter had asked them the previous week if they could all go together, and after some prodding had finally admitted that the reason she was so eager to go to this particular birthday party was that Chris was also going. _

_ “Love, there are all these other kids! She’s going to be fine. It’s not like he’s picking her up on his own. Plus we know all the other parents, she has a phone if she needs to reach one of us… it’s all going to be okay!” _

_ Yaz wasn’t entirely convinced yet as she watched the group of teenagers walk down the street, away from their house. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. _

_ “Can somebody watch her?” _

_ Sariel frowned, obviously unsure what Yaz meant. “Like who?” _

_ “You know”, Yaz continued, fiddling with the edge of the curtain she was still holding on to. “Like one of your” - she made an upwards motion with her head, and Sara’s eyes widened.  _

_ “Yaz I can’t just ask an angel to drop their duties to watch Alex at a birthday party!” _

_ Yaz sighed, realising the silliness of her question. “Yeah I know”, she finally said, leaning over to catch a last glimpse of the kids disappearing around the corner. “But you know I’m going to be worrying the whole time until she is back home safe and sound.” _

_ “I know”, Sariel said, smiling. “But I had an idea about how to distract you.” _

_ When Yaz looked up, Sara’s smile had turned into a cheeky grin, and Yaz felt herself blush a little bit. _

Still behaving like a teenager myself around her,  _ she thought. _

_ “Did you now?”  
  
  
  
_

\---

  
  


Sara lifted her head from the book she was currently reading on her porch, and smiled as she saw a familiar car park in front of the driveway. The car had barely stopped when the backdoor was thrown open, a whirlwind of curly hair and bright blue dungarees flying out of the car and heading straight towards Sara. She barely had time to take her headphones off before the body of the little girl crashed into her, briefly knocking the air out of her lungs.

“Yasmin!”

Alex’s exasperated voice rang out across the driveway, and Sara saw her hurrying up towards them, holding her son’s hand.

“Hello little one”, Sara said, and the girl finally released her death-grip on her ribcage, pulling back with a huge grin.

“Hi grandma”, she replied, then started jumping up and down as she looked at Sara. “Are we going to play flying again today?”

Sara laughed. “Grandma’s back hasn’t been doing so well lately, sweetie.” But when she saw the disappointed look on the little girl’s face, she sighed. “Fine”, she said, lifting her finger in the air between them, winking. “One round!”

“Yes!” the girl exclaimed, fist pumping the air, and in the next moment, she ran into the house, quickly followed by her older brother who had freed himself from his mother’s hand.

“Hi ma”, Alex said, leaning down to place a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “How’s it going?”

“Oh you know”, Sariel said, placing her headphones on the little table next to her. “Aging as a human. It’s… not so much fun. When did getting up get so hard?”

Smiling, Alex sat down in the chair next to Sara’s, and her eyes darted towards the headphones on the table. “Are you listening to mom’s singing again?”

Sara fiddled with the phone in her lap, sighing. “You know I always will”, she finally answered.

They sat in silence for a moment, until a soft laugh escaped Alex, and Sara turned towards her, eyebrow raised. “What?”

“Oh it’s just”, Alex said, grinning. “You know ma would have killed you if she would have known that you recorded her the  _ one _ time she sang to me, right?”

“Excuse you”, Sara said, placing a hand on her chest in mock outrage. “Your mother had a beautiful voice and it would have been a shame not to take advantage of the moment.”

“Yeah yeah”, Alex said. Then, smiling, she added. “I’m glad you’ve got the recording.”

“Me too”, Sara agreed, softly patting the hand her daughter had placed over her own.

“Anyway”, she finally added. “How are the kids?”

“Oh you know”, Alex said. “Yaz is a handful. I have no idea where she gets all that energy from. Not from me or John, definitely.”

“Just like your mother”, Sara replied, grinning. “You know when she first became my charge, I had no idea how to keep up with her. I thought my brother had been exaggerating! But I found myself always running after her, it felt like a marathon some days.”

Laughing, Alex shook her head. “You guys were pretty badass back then.”

“Back then?” Sara said, playfully slapping her daughter’s arm. “I’ll have you know that this angel doesn’t need wings to kick ass.”

“Grandma said ass!” a squeal came from behind them, and Alex turned bright red.

“This one’s on you!” she hissed before she got up to chase her daughter.

Chuckling, Sara shook her head, then reached for the headphones on the table next to her and placed them over her ears.

Just one more time for today.

\---

  
  
  


_ “Ugh I hate being on call”, Yaz winced, grabbing her phone off the table. “Rain check on movie night?” _

_ “Rain check”, Sara agreed. _

_ The one thing about her job that Yaz had never quite liked was that she could get called away from her family on a moment’s notice, but nevertheless, she loved her work and she was proud of what she got to do every day. _

_ “Oh”, she suddenly said, turning to Sara as she put on her coat. “I wanted to wait until later but I guess now’s as good a moment as any.” _

_ Reaching into the pocket of her coat, she pulled out an envelope and handed it to Sara, who lifted an eyebrow, giving her a quizzical look. _

_ “Open it”, Yaz said, smiling. _

_ She watched as her wife opened the envelope, pulling out one sheet of paper. She unfolded it, then read over its content. _

_ Yaz’s heart beat fast into her chest as she saw the expression on Sariel’s face change, from confusion to surprise to excitement. _

_ “Oh my God - Yaz!” she exclaimed, dropping the piece of paper to her side and taking a step towards her, enveloping her in a tight hug. _

_ “I -” she started as she pulled back, lifting the piece of paper up to her eyes once more. “I had no idea you were going for this!” _

_ “I didn’t want to talk about it until I knew for sure it would work out”, Yaz spoke softly, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. _

_ “Sergeant Khan”, Sara said, grinning. “I like the sound of that.” _

_ “It means being in the field a lot less”, Yaz said. “But I thought that might be a good thing.” _

_ “Oh Yaz”, Sara breathed, and then she threw her arms around Yaz’s shoulders, crushing their lips together. Their kiss quickly grew heated, but Yaz pulled back, face flushed. _

_ “I have to go to work, honey”, she said, then added, somewhat sheepishly: “Celebrate later?” _

_ “Yes”, Sara replied instantly, and Yaz felt warmth spread through her chest. _

_ Sariel walked her to the door, and placed another kiss on her lips before she headed down the driveway. _

_ “Go read your book!” Yaz called out as she opened the door of her car. “And don’t you dare tell me who did it before I get a chance to finish it myself!” _

_ “I would never!”, Sara called back, then added. “I love you.” _

_ “I love you, too”, Yaz replied, then got into her car, ready to drive away to wherever she was needed. She already couldn’t wait to get back home. _

  
  


\---

  
  


Sara woke up in the middle of the night, eyes flying open. It had been quite a while since she had dreamed of Yaz, although the woman had a tendency to occasionally steal her way into her sleep. Most of the time, they just sat together on a bench along a river, talking. They were always Sara’s favorite dreams, and she woke up from them feeling like Yaz had been holding her through the night.

It had felt different this time, though.

_ “Come home” _ , Yaz had said in her dream, smiling while she held her hand.  _ “Come home.” _

Realising that her mouth felt dry, Sara sat up slowly, flipping the covers to the side. As she made her way down to the kitchen, she realised once more that she had heavily underestimated the aging part of being human. Some days, her bones felt almost too heavy to move, on others however, she almost remembered how it had felt like, to spend her days in eternal youth, flying through the skies. She missed her wings more and more these days, stopping to look at her back in the mirror whenever she took a bath, to find the familiar welts growing darker with every year that passed her by.

She sat down at the kitchen table, a fresh glass of water in her hand, and slowly took a sip, when her eyes fell on the picture of her and Yaz that stood on the windowsill. Smiling, she remembered taking it, her very first “selfie”. It was shaky and out of focus, yet Yaz had always insisted on keeping it.

Suddenly, Sara felt tired, so tired. She knew she should go back upstairs and lie down, yet she found her legs were too heavy.

_ Just for one moment _ , she thought as she closed her eyes.

The next thing Sara felt was an all-encompassing darkness, filling the air around her. She tried opening her eyes, but found that she couldn’t. Panic rose inside of her, but then there was a warmth, and an all too familiar voice softly talking to her.

_ It’s okay. You’re going home. I’m bringing you home. Soon. We’re almost there. _

She wanted to call out Yaz’s name, reach out towards wherever the voice was coming from, but she found that she had no body to move. So she waited, listening to the words reverberating all around her, letting herself be carried in the soft embrace of their sound.

Then, there was a bright light all around her, and as she finally opened her eyes, she was suspended in mid-air above the city, with Yaz floating above her, smiling.

“Yaz”, she breathed, unable to believe her eyes. “Yaz, you have wings!”

And as Sara reached up towards her, she felt the years being washed off her skin, flowing away one by one, until she was young once more. Then, there was an almost burning heat in her back, and a faint glow appeared all around her as wings broke out of her, feather by feather being formed out of pure light, until she could feel the wind flowing through them like the softest caress.

“Sara”, Yaz finally spoke, and then their hands touched, and they pulled each other close, lips finding each other, arms wrapping around waists, necks, hands grasping at hips and hair, soft sighs passing between them as their mouths danced against each other.

When they finally broke apart, they rested their foreheads against each other, floating over the city in speechless silence while never letting go off one another.

“I missed you so much”, Sara finally whispered, and she felt a tear run down her cheek.

“I missed you, too”, Yaz replied, smiling softly.

“How?” Sara finally asked, pulling back slightly to look at Yaz in wonder. She looked even more beautiful than Sara could remember, her wings casting a soft glow all over her skin, and for a moment, Sara thought that maybe this was just another one of her dreams. But then Yaz reached up to place another, soft kiss on her lips, and Sara knew that it was real.

“Apparently”, Yaz said. “Somebody thought I deserved a reward for giving my life to save somebody else's. Something about how I was always meant to end up here.”

It took Sara a moment, but then her eyes went wide as the realisation finally clicked into place.

“You’re a guardian angel”, she breathed. "That's why you were my charge in the first place!" 

“I am”, Yaz smiled. “Who do you think has been watching out for you and Alex all these years?”

Lost for words, Sara pulled Yaz close once again, burying her face in the crook of Yaz’s neck. 

“Thank you”, she whispered, breathing in the scent of Yaz - orange with a hint of chocolate, the smell she had missed so much.

Instead of replying, Yaz placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. She held her like that for a while, both women filled to the brim with happiness at finally being able to feel each other once again.

A thought suddenly crossed Sara's mind, pushed to the back in all her euphoria until now. 

"Alex!" she exclaimed. 

"Don't worry", Yaz said, winking. "I left her a feather."

Sara looked at her, surprised, then couldn't help but break out into laughter. "You're a cheeky one, you!" 

Yaz smirked. "Well", she said. "I learned from the best."

Shaking her head, Sariel looked down on the city underneath them once again, still not fully able to process everything that had just happened. Yaz gave her time, waiting patiently until Sara lifted her eyes once again. 

“Now”, Yaz said, breaking the silence that had settled between them. “Will you please finally have a look at your wings, honey?”

“Huh?” Sara said, turning her head and bringing her wings up around herself at the same time. 

That’s when she realised.

There were six of them.

“Six?” she said, brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would I have…”

When it dawned on her, her eyes grew wide once again, lips forming a silent “oh” as her heart did a somersault in her chest. 

“Welcome to celestial singing duty, Sariel Seraphim”, Yaz said, grinning from ear to ear. “Somebody must have really liked your voice.”

“Oh my -”, Sara started, turning on the spot as she tried to get a look at her new wings from every possible angle. “This is amazing”, she whispered as she finally came to a halt, her eyes shining with excitement.

“I learned so many new songs on earth, Yaz”, she said. “I can’t wait to introduce them to the choir.”

“Easy”, Yaz said, laughing. “Before you run off to your new duties”, she added, shifting herself closer towards Sara. “We have been given some time off. You know, for you to adjust to everything again.”

She winked, and Sara felt a blush creep up her cheeks as her heart picked up speed.

_ Still like on the very first day,  _ she thought.

“Fly with me?” Yaz asked, holding out a hand towards Sara.

Smiling, Sara took it into hers, intertwining their fingers for the first time in over thirty years, and nodded.

“Always.”

“Oh, and by the way”, Yaz said as the wind caught their wings, setting their course.

“I really can’t believe you recorded me that one time.”

“Oops”, was all Sara said in reply, and with a cheeky grin, she let go of Yaz’s hand, diving down towards the city.

“Oh no you don’t”, Yaz mumbled, and with a flap of her wings, she followed her through the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. If you haven't checked out the other parts of the series yet, I would love it if you went and had a look!
> 
> If you liked it, please consider leaving a comment - hearing your thoughts means the world to me :)


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